It is football’s propensity to surprise even its most experienced followers that best explains its appeal. As supporters and journalists headed to the Etihad on Saturday, all the talk was of how Tottenham could pick off Manchester City and pile more misery on Pep Guardiola.
We were wrong. Football made us look stupid, and there is nothing more glorious than something you think about every other minute of every day catching you off guard so spectacularly.
Guardiola’s City were not weakened by the thought of Tottenham, but emboldened by them. They surged over their opponents like a tide, every player desperate to show that they believed in their manager and his methods. They relied on mishap to score their goals, but more than merited the lead after a succession of chances had been fashioned. Victory was won, disaster averted.
But we were wrong, and football made us look stupid again. Just as Tottenham looked to have faltered, back Mauricio Pochettino’s team came. They may have relied on refereeing incompetence (more on that later), but at least summoned up belief when they would have been forgiven for possessing none. In a title and top-four race allowing little margin for error, disaster was averted for them too.
A point does little to harm or assist either Manchester City or Tottenham, particularly not on a day when Manchester United and Liverpool also dropped points. Yet the watching neutral did not need to judge the match in its wider meaning, merely enjoy it for itself: A pulsating, enthralling 90 minutes after which both teams could feel frustrated and sated in almost equal measure.
* Against Everton last week, Pablo Zabaleta and Yaya Toure were overrun in central midfield by Ross Barkley and Tom Davies. So was Guardiola’s solution to bolster the midfield? Would he call on Fabian Delph? Or would it be Fernando? Or would he change shape to give that area of the pitch more support?
Erm, no. Rather than beefing up the midfield, giving his team more security in that area, Guardiola opted for less. Out went Zabaleta, from the midfield at least, and in came… Leroy Sane. City effectively set up with four attacking midfielders and Toure, presumably left holding a little white flag in his hand and hoping for the best.
You kind of understood Guardiola’s reasoning, however. City’s attacking prowess is their best weapon, so why not try and swarm over Tottenham and get a lead in the game – attack is the best form of defence? You can’t deny that the tactic would have surprised Pochettino. And as it happened…
* Another setback for John Stones though, dropped again after a dreadful performance against former club Everton. He has now not started more than two games in a row since November 5.
Of most concern to a £47.5m signing are the players he’s being left out for. If Vincent Kompany had been fully fit you could just about stomach being on the bench, but the last four times Stones has been left out of Guardiola’s starting XI, it has been to accommodate Aleksandar Kolarov and Nicolas Otamendi in central defence. There could be no more bitter pill to swallow.
At 22 and in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, Stones is far from a lost cause. Yet it’s impossible not to wonder whether Manchester City’s central defender curse has claimed another victim.
* For Tottenham, Ben Davies might be having similar feelings to Stones. With Pochettino in need of a left-sided central defender, the manager plumped for Kevin Wimmer. Given that the gap in Tottenham’s team coincided with Davies’ best position – and where he plays for Wales – you’d have to think that his time at White Hart Lane is up. Even when Toby Alderweireld went off injured, it was Victor Wanyama sent to centre-back and Harry Winks brought on.
The difficulty for Davies is that he still may not be sold. Pochettino is not in the business of allowing squad players to leave while engineering a title challenge, and Davies remains useful. There’s just not a lot of fun to be found in being second reserve for two different positions.
* “They can’t keep playing like this. They’re just too open. They’re giving up chance after chance.”
Those were the words of Glenn Hoddle shortly before half-time. Had you been asked which team he was talking about at any point this week, the answer would have been quickly forthcoming. We’d all have been wrong.
During the first half, Manchester City trampled all over Tottenham. They had 28 touches in the opposition box compared to Spurs’ one, and had 11 shots to two. Most emphatic was the number of overlaps City created, several times having two on two, three on three or even three on two in the final third. Harry Kane had seven touches before the break; Dele Alli had eight.
* The only negative for City was the lack of opening goal. Zabaleta and Raheem Sterling were guilty of dwelling on the ball when presented with opportunities to shoot, while Sane sent a header wide from ten yards. When Sergio Aguero and David Silva did get their shots off, Hugo Lloris was able to get both high and low respectively to thwart them.
This is not a new problem for City, who were guilty of failing to take full advantage against Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United earlier this season, and were made to pay against two of the three. For all of the positives provided by the performance against Tottenham, the overwhelming mood is still one of unfulfilled potential in attacking areas. Or, as our football coach used to say to us, if you don’t finish your dinner don’t be surprised when you aren’t allowed to eat sweets.
* One pleasing thing for Guardiola in the first half was just how high his team pressed, mimicking Tottenham’s own style under Pochettino. Aguero in particular played with a higher intensity off the ball than I’m used to seeing, sprinting to put pressure on Lloris on numerous occasions.
Joining him were Sane and Sterling, who both have flaws in their attacking games in clutch moments, but who possess bags of pace and energy. The two wingers were vital in cutting off Lloris’ options and pinning back Tottenham’s dangerous full-backs as City established themselves as the dominant force in the match.
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